


One More Time: A Captain Swan Time Travel Adventure

by shamelesscaptainswanshipper



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergengence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamelesscaptainswanshipper/pseuds/shamelesscaptainswanshipper
Summary: To prevent Emma from revealing that he is the Dark One once again, Rumplestiltskin sends Emma through a time portal, and Emma finds herself face to face with the man whose death she just witnessed – Captain Hook. Will Emma find a way back to her own time? Will she even want to?
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 39
Kudos: 58





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea a long time ago and published the first few chapters online – sometime between the release of season 5A and 5B. I'm embarrassed about how long it took for me to write, but hopefully you'll like this revised version of my time travel romance.

“I love you,” she whispers, and leans in to kiss him. One hand finds itself tangled in his dark hair while the other one holds on to the pulsing Excalibur with the souls of the past Dark Ones fighting to get free from its hold.

“I love you too,” he says against her lips as she pulls away.

He gives her a reassuring nod. He is ready.

Her face is wet with tears and her right hand is shaking. She can’t do this, can she? What if she turned the sword and stabbed herself instead? Then he would be rid of the darkness, and her family would be safe. She was the one who did this. She was the one who let the darkness take her, the one who turned him into a Dark One. Why should he die because of her mistakes?

“It’s okay,” he says softly, seeing the hesitation in her eyes. When she doesn’t move he gives her a pleading look, a pained look. That does it. He wants to make up for what he’s done, he wants to be remembered as a hero. She was the one who did this to him, and she can give him this – even if it’ll rip her heart in two.

He screams when the sword pierces his heart, and she wraps her arms around him, holding him steady as he caresses her face, his body growing weaker by the second.

The sword, now coated in his blood, disappears.

“No. No. No. No,” she murmurs, as he falls to the ground.

Emma Swan is sobbing over the dead body of Killian Jones.


	2. Whispers

Emma didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, motionless on her living room couch, still fully clothed. She hadn’t bothered to remove her boots or her leather jacket.

Judging by the amount of sunlight that was creeping in through the gap between the curtains in front of her window, she assumed it was around 9 AM, which meant that she hadn’t moved for a long time.

She absentmindedly let her fingers trace the engraved metal of the ring in her hands as she looked up at the ceiling.

She was surprised by the lack of visitors. Of course she’d told her family to leave her alone but she hadn’t expected them to actually listen to her. Giving her space when told to wasn’t something they were good at. Usually her well-meaning family would stay annoyingly close to her, trying to cheer her up but it seemed that this time they knew better. Good. She didn’t want to see her family right now, there was only one person she wanted to see and that person was gone.

Killian was gone. Despite everything she had done to prevent it, despite everything she had done to keep him safe he was gone. Gone for good this time it seemed. Third time was the charm, right? His survivor’s luck was bound to run out at some point.

The last tears had long since dried on her cheeks. She had no more left to shed. Now she just wanted to lie here and wait for sleep to claim her. This couch was the only place she could sleep. She had never bothered to put furniture in her bedroom — which should have been _their_ bedroom. When she had been the Dark One there had been no need for sleep so she had never acquired a bed.

But she didn’t feel tired. She supposed it was too early for sleep. It hadn’t been that long since she ceased being a Dark One, her body probably felt like it had just woken up after a very long night’s sleep.

“I’m sorry Killian,” she thought. “I wasn’t able to save you.”

She could still see his face, as clearly as if he was before her right now. She could see the agony, the pain and regret in his eyes as she stabbed him with Excalibur. She could see the love behind the pain, as he caressed her face, trying to reassure _her_ that everything was going to be okay.

She could still see the Dark Ones too, standing behind Killian. She could even hear them whispering now, taunting her.

“We’re still here,” they whispered. “You saved no one. You failed. He’s here with us and we’re still here!”

“What the hell?”

Emma instantly sat up. She hadn’t imagined it at all. She heard those voices loud and clear. But how? Killian destroyed the darkness when he sacrificed himself. She shouldn’t be able to hear those whispers anymore. They should all be gone.

Emma rose from the couch and placed the chain with Killian’s ring back around her neck. She could grieve later. First, she had to get to the bottom of this. If something had gone wrong she needed to find out what it was. If even a tiny fragment of the darkness remained she had to destroy it, she owed it to Killian.


	3. The Dagger

Mr. Gold’s pawnshop was empty when Emma stepped inside. This was where the whispers had led her and when she really thought about it, this wasn’t that surprising.

She withdrew her phone from her pocket and wrote a text to Gold who was probably still in bed.

“MEET ME AT YOUR SHOP NOW!”

She didn’t bother to be polite. She sent the text and waited. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long for Mr. Gold to enter the shop. He looked irritated.

“You see miss Swan, this isn’t a library or Granny’s or some bus station. This is my shop, so unless the sign says open you’re not invited,” he said as he moved to stand behind the counter, facing her.

“I think I _was_ invited,” she said. “The whispering. It’s the dagger, it’s calling to me.”

“You’re upset, you’re imagining things,” Gold said.

Emma shook her head. “No! I heard it, it’s here, isn’t it? You have it, don’t you?”

She already knew that he was lying but she wanted him to admit to what she already suspected. It was no surprise to her, he was the only other former Dark One in town after all, and the only other former Dark One still alive. It made sense that he would be the one who had it.

For several long moments Gold said nothing. But he seemed to realise that it was no use lying to her. He bent down to pick up something from one of the lower shelves behind the counter and placed it on the countertop. An item wrapped in silver fabric. Emma already knew what it was before he removed the fabric – She _felt_ it.

“Yes I do,” Mr. Gold confessed, showing her the Dark One’s dagger. The blade, she noticed, had a long familiar name engraved into it. “Rumplestiltskin”.

“You’re the Dark One — again?” she said in disbelief, her mind struggling to make sense of it even with the evidence proudly displayed in front of her, mocking her.

Mr. Gold chuckled. “Yes. I had hoped to keep that secret. I wasn’t expecting you to hear it, but then again most ex-Dark Ones are dead.”

Yes, they were, and now Killian was among them, she thought bitterly.

“How is this possible?” Emma demanded.

Mr. Gold smiled. “When you came to me asking for the sword, I saw an opportunity; a chance I’d never imagined would present itself again. As fate would have it a small vial of magic was close at hand. One sprinkle was enough for me to know that I could get it all back. So when Hook thought he was destroying the darkness he was actually moving it — channeling it some place safe.”

“Into you,” she hissed.

“Yes. He had no idea,” Mr. Gold said. “Now things are as they should be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually prefer shorter chapters, which is why my own chapters are on the shorter end. So far I've been following the storyline of the show but in the next chapter, things will be taking a slightly different turn.


	4. Loopholes

Emma didn’t think she had ever been this angry about anything in her entire life. She wanted to punch him, to strangle him and to run that dagger through his heart. No, she wanted to do so much worse than that. After everything they had done to get rid of the darkness for good, after she had helped Killian sacrifice himself, the man in front of her was telling her that it had all been for nothing. Killian’s death had been in vain. He had wanted to die a hero and Emma had let him; it had been the only thing left she could do for him and Gold had taken it all away. She could feel the magic inside her, the sparks inside her, fuelled by her rage. It wanted to punish Gold, to hurt him.

“Killian sacrificed himself to destroy the darkness and you took that away from him!”

She raised a hand to unleash her anger upon him, but Mr. Gold blocked her magic easily.

“Do you honestly think that you can hurt me,” he said calmly. “I now have the combined power of every Dark One who ever lived, including you.” Meaning he was even more dangerous now than he had been before his coma, and not even her own magic could stop him, she realised.

“You found a loophole and betrayed us again,” she hissed. 

Mr. Gold shrugged. “It’s what I do. It’s the man I am.”

She didn’t know why she should be surprised by this. He had been given a second chance, had become a clean slate as she had put it, no longer tainted by the darkness, he had the chance to be a hero, to be a proper grandfather to Henry, a good husband to Belle, and he ruined it, choosing instead to betray them all for power. Some people truly were unredeemable, it seemed.

What would Neal have thought of this, she wondered. If he had been alive, would Gold have even done this? She didn’t know, and it didn’t matter either. But she did know one other person who certainly wasn’t going to like this turn of events. Belle.

“What do you think Belle would say if she found out about what you’ve done — what you’ve become,” Emma asked.

She couldn’t imagine that Belle would be pleased. The idea that Emma could ruin Belle’s happiness, (she still had no idea what Belle saw in him), brought her no joy, but she cared about Belle and thought that she deserved to know the truth about the man she was married to.

Mr. Gold shrugged at her question. “It doesn’t matter because Belle is not going to find out.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Emma warned. “I know your secret and nothing is going to stop me from telling people who you really are. And once everyone knows the truth I will find a way to get rid of the darkness for good, even if that means getting rid of you in the process. I don’t care if you’re my son’s grandfather, what you have done is unforgivable, and I’ll make sure that you pay!”

Mr. Gold chuckled. “As much as I admire your determination, miss Swan, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that,” he said. “You see you shouldn’t underestimate me either.”

From his pocket he withdrew a black wand, which Emma recognised instantly. Her eyes widened.


	5. The Black Wand

“You still have that wand.” How did he still have that wand?

Gold smiled. “I was the one who taught Regina. It was easy for me to get through her protective spells and steal back the wand. A powerful item such as the Black Fairy’s wand should be kept somewhere safe, don’t you agree?”

“And you think that’s with you?” Emma almost wanted to laugh.

“From what you told me of you and Hook’s, may he rest in peace, little adventure to the past—” Emma gritted her teeth at his mentioning of Killian, this snake of a man wasn’t worthy of speaking his name. “— I’m assuming that you know what this wand can do.”

“You said it could recreate any magic ever performed,” she said. She could still recall her time-travel adventure with Killian vividly.

“And did it work for you?”

Emma didn’t answer him, and Gold didn’t seem to expect her to either.

“Now of course only the person who used the magic could recreate it but I now have the power of all past Dark Ones, including you and your pirate, which means—”

Emma could barely believe her own eyes as she suddenly found herself face to face with herself, or the Emma she had been after she stepped into the darkness. Her white hair was tied back into a tight bun, her too red lips pressed together, forming a tight line. She was dressed in black from head to toe.

“You can still see her too I assume,” said Mr. Gold.

“You— you’re going to—” she wasn’t able to finish her sentence.

“Make sure you’re not around to tell anyone of what you’ve learned today, yes,” he said.

The dark Emma in front of her looked apologetic.

Mr. Gold raised the black wand. It glowed and a familiar orange-coloured vortex appeared beside Emma.

“You can’t do this,” she said – almost pleaded. “You have no idea what the consequences will be.” Was this man insane?

“Oh but I do, miss Swan, and I am willing to take that risk. I am confident that there is nothing you can do to stop me,” he said.

The dark Emma in front of her turned into Killian.

“I’m sorry Swan,” he said.

Emma could feel her eyes beginning to water. Seeing him again, as he had looked mere hours ago, before she killed him and sent him to the Underworld, was too much.

“K-Killian,” she choked out, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye.

“Enjoy your trip miss Swan,” Gold said and Emma, still frozen in shock felt herself being pulled into the vortex, and Mr. Gold and his shop disappeared.


	6. Falling Through the Portal

Emma didn’t know how long she’d been falling. It could have been hours, minutes, or mere seconds; she didn’t know. She was just falling into the seemingly endless spiral of nothingness.

She had gotten so used to her fire-coloured surroundings that she was almost shocked when she caught sight of the blue sky and suddenly found herself falling through mid-air, heading straight for the ocean.

This was it, she thought. She was going to drown. She was going to die. She had to be at least three miles away from the island she spotted in the distance so even if she survived this fall, which she doubted, there was no way she’d be able to swim to shore. And even if she had the energy to reach the shore who was to say she wouldn’t die of hypothermia long before then?

First she failed to save Killian, and now she had failed to save herself too. Some saviour she was.

She closed her eyes, not needing to see what came next. At least she would be with Killian again, she thought. And it was the thought of him that calmed her, made her unafraid. If this truly was her end she’d accept it, welcome it. She would be with Killian again.

She waited for the collision, for that feeling of hitting solid concrete, which she had heard was the feeling you got when you fell ten feet down into a body of water. But it never came. Not in the way she expected at least. She landed on something hard and wooden.


	7. A Ghost From the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait. I took a day off writing on my birthday and then I just got so busy with work. But I'm finally back with another chapter, one that I think you've been looking forward to – I know I have.
> 
> I've thought about this scene dozens of times, and I don't think I'll ever be quite satisfied with it no matter how I write it, so this is it. I hope it is somewhat to your liking even though it is short.

Emma didn’t dare to open her eyes, afraid of what she might see if she did.

She heard voices around her, all of them male. She figured she must have landed on a ship. But where? And perhaps even more importantly — _when?_

When she fell through the portal, she hadn’t thought of a particular time like the last time she went back in time.

This meant that in theory she could have landed anywhere and anywhere in time. If only she had thought to think of something that could help her, make it easier to get back home; like the Enchanted Forest and Rumplestiltskin. Surely he would have been willing to help her again if she managed to track him down. But thanks to her own foolishness she now had no idea where she was. What if she had managed to land too far away from anyone who could help her?

A pair of rough hands pulled her up and away from her distressing thoughts. She didn’t even have the time to react before she felt a knife being pressed against her throat. She kept her eyes closed.

“Captain, we’ve caught a stowaway,” a voice, probably belonging to her captor, yelled, far too loudly.

Emma decided she could worry about getting back home later; first, she would have to escape from whoever these people were.

She heard footsteps approach her and her captors. The captain, she assumed.

“Put that knife away, Sparky” a new voice said in a dismissive tone.

Emma’s blood froze. She _knew_ that voice, she would know that voice anywhere. Mere moments ago she had been alone in her house, willing to give _anything_ to hear that voice again. But that meant—.

“It’s safe to open your eyes, lass,” the voice said, interrupting her thoughts, sounding much closer now.

But Emma couldn’t open her eyes. She didn’t dare to. This couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. What were the odds? But it suddenly dawned on her. It made so much sense, the last thing on her mind before she fell out of the portal – of course the portal had brought her here, to _him_.

“Come on, look at me,” the voice said again, more gently this time. “I promise that no harm will come to you if you do as you’re told.”

Emma hesitated but then decided that in her current situation it was best to do as she was told, besides she didn’t fear this man; she couldn’t. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself looking right into the face of none other than Captain Hook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that it's November I hope to be able to write faster. I'm not doing a complete nanowrimo this year, but I aim to work on this story every day.


	8. Speechless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the birthday wishes everyone. I love the fact that both Emma and I are born in October.
> 
> And thank you so much for your, as always, enthusiastic reviews. I love them so much, and it's stuff like that, which keeps me going. 
> 
> Because it is election day in the United States, I'm posting the newest chapter early. And I had so much fun writing it, to delve deep into Emma's feelings in this odd situation. I'm sorry I ended it where I did, but it felt appropriate.

“Well hello there,” Killian — no, Captain Hook — said, smiling at her with an expression she knew only all too well – intrigue.

Emma didn’t say anything – she couldn’t. She was no stranger to time portals anymore, knew how they worked, and she knew that the man in front of her was real – as real as she was, but she still couldn’t quite believe it.

Here was the man whom she herself had murdered mere hours ago – on his own request – and now he was standing right in front of her, still very much alive.

Emma felt a sudden urge to throw herself into the arms of the captain, to hold onto him and never let him go. She wanted to kiss him senseless, to feel the warmth of his body against her own, to- Emma stopped herself before her thoughts could spiral any further.

This man wasn’t Killian – not _her_ Killian, not yet.

The captain in front of her only provided a vague clue about the time period she had landed in. This man could be centuries away from her own time, or only a few years. How long had it been since the captain in front of her had lost Milah and begun his quest for vengeance? How long until he would ally with Cora and climb a beanstalk? How long did this man have before she’d be forced to put a cursed sword through his heart?

“Well,” Captain Hook said, interrupting her thoughts. “I can’t say it’s the first time I’ve rendered a lass speechless with my devilishly handsome looks.”

That remark earned him a wave of roaring laughter from his crew members. Emma decided to lower her gaze. Maybe she would have better luck coming up with the right response if she wasn’t distracted by his looks. The captain was right; he _was_ handsome, but that wasn’t why Emma found herself unable to speak.

When she had looked at the captain in front of her, she had seen so much more than his handsome exterior. She had seen the man he was, the man he would become, the man she loved. She had seen the man who poured rum on her injured hand atop a beanstalk, the man she’d kissed in a jungle, who’d sold his beloved ship for her, who’d always believed in her and forgiven her when she’d cursed him with darkness. She’d seen the man who’d died in her arms only hours before, the man whom she’d never thought she’d ever see again. And she didn’t know what to do, what to say.

“Now, there’s no need to be shy, love,” the man said. Emma felt his hand on her chin, lifting it so her eyes were once again level with his. Eyes that she could gaze into forever, she thought.

“We’re not going to harm you,” Captain Hook said. “Just tell me who you are and how you came to be on my ship”.


	9. Leia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, guys. Sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been feeling sick for the past two weeks (don't worry, it's not COVID-19), so I haven't been feeling up to writing. It's past midnight here, but I didn't feel right going to bed without finishing this chapter and posting it. I kept you waiting long enough. It's short, once again, but I hope you'll like it.

Captain Hook’s face was kind. Reassuring. No, he wasn’t going to harm her, not unless she gave him a reason to. If she cooperated and told him what he wanted to know, she would be in no danger.

Emma’s problem was that she had no idea which answer to give him. She couldn’t tell him the truth. Not only could it cause catastrophic changes to the timeline, but there was a very likely possibility that he wouldn’t even believe her story. But she had to give him some explanation, something believable. But what?

“You can speak, can’t you, lass?” he said, still not unkindly.

His face was so familiar, yet it was all wrong. There was no recognition on his face, no love in his eyes. This man looked and talked so much like the man she had lost, yet he wasn’t, not really. The man standing before her now didn’t know her, didn’t love her, didn’t know how much she loved him, or what seeing him now did to her, how difficult it was for her to keep herself together. What was she supposed to say to him?

“Yes, I can speak,” Emma said. “But if I told you how I got here you wouldn’t believe me”.

That much was true, at least. She might as well admit that much, she thought, as there was no simple lie she could offer him to explain her presence.

“Is that so?” The captain chuckled. “How about you tell me what I want to know, and then we’ll see whether or not I choose to believe your tale. You can start with your name.”

Her name. Could she even tell him that much? If she ever managed to get out of this mess, would giving him her real name change anything? Would it mess up the timeline? In her years as a bail bonds person she’d gotten plenty of practice pretending to be someone she wasn’t. She’d always used her own name though; Emma was a common enough name. But she had no idea where in time she had been brought, so she couldn’t risk using it here.

My name is–“ she hesitated. She sighed. “My name is Leia.”

She didn’t know what had prompted her to use that name, it just slipped out. Perhaps she longed to give him some part of the truth, of something she’d shared with him, something to get her through this, as it had gotten her through everything the last time she got stuck in the past.

“Well, Leia,” Captain Hook said, drawing out her name as if tasting it on his tongue. “Welcome to the Jolly Roger.”


	10. Outside of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so very sorry for the delay. I had issues with my keyboard so I had to buy a new laptop, and it was a drag transferring all my files, so that's why I haven't updated in months. I hope you can forgive me, and that you'll find the next chapter somewhat enjoyable. I don't plan on taking so long to update the next time around. A very belated Happy Holidays to you all.

When the captain had suggested they continue their conversation in his cabin, Emma hadn’t objected. She doubted he’d really have given her the option of refusing him anyways, but if she were to convince him that she wasn’t a threat, she would rather do it away from the prying eyes of his crew.

So she’d followed him inside and had taken a seat at his table without a word. She looked down at the old wood, trying not to let her memories of past rendezvous inside this very room overwhelm her.

“Eyes up, lass,” Hook said, his voice firm and gentle at the same time.

Emma obeyed, raising her gaze to meet his seawater blue eyes. She pushed the image away of the last time she’d seen that same pair of eyes in another realm, in another time, resigned, ready for the end.

“So, now that we are alone, perhaps you’d be more keen to open up. You still haven’t told me what you’re doing aboard my ship”.

“It’s sort of complicated,” Emma said slowly. She knew this answer would be far from enough to satisfy him, but she needed more time to think.

“Tell me, Leia,” he said, “do you know where we are right now?”

Emma was surprised by the casual question. She turned her head to look out the window but found nothing but the open sea. They could be anywhere, she knew Killian had travelled to many places in his long life. Why was he asking this?

Emma shook her head to answer his question.

“Does the name Neverland mean anything to you?”

Emma loosed a gasp, feeling the urge to smack herself for failing to come to this obvious conclusion. Of course they were in Neverland. It was the place Hook had spent most of his life. That must have been the island she saw during her fall.

The captain smirked, no doubt seeing from her reaction that this was not the first she’d heard of that place.

“I take it you know then that this place exists outside of time, that you can stay here for however long you wish and not age, a place where one can live forever, if one so chooses”.

Emma nodded again.

“What this means for you, love, is that you and I have got all the time in the world, and that I am willing to listen to you for as long as it takes for you to explain this complicated matter of your appearance,” Hook said. “So, I will ask you again, how did you come to be on my ship?”


	11. Half-Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being so patient with me. It pained me not being able to update, but I'm pleased to be posting the next chapter already. I intend to do more writing today, so hopefully my next couple of updates will be quicker. Enjoy.

The captain would not put up with her non-answers. He wanted to know how she had appeared on the Jolly Roger, and Emma believed he really would sit here and wait for her to tell him what he wanted to know. There would be no beating around the bush with him, and in his place, would she have demanded less? No, she was even more distrustful of strangers than he was.

Emma loosed a sigh and launched into her explanation.

“The short answer to your question, Captain,” she said, “is that I fell through a portal”.

“A portal,” Hook repeated.

“I am as surprised as you that I ended up on your ship. I was forced from my home and through a portal, and somehow I ended up here of all places, so if you’re worried that I’m here as part of some elaborate scheme, rest assured, I’m not. In fact, there’s nothing I’d like more than to go back home. So, are you satisfied?”

Emma held his gaze, waiting for him to say something.

“So, you want me to believe that you did not board my ship deliberately, and that all you want is to get back to where you came from, aye?”

Hook sounded amused, but whether or not he believed her, she couldn’t tell. And even if he did believe her, there was still no telling what he’d actually do. Her mind drifted back to Killian’s – _her_ Killian’s – words at the tavern in the Enchanted Forest, the last time she took an involuntary trip to the past.

_That man over there – you don’t know him._

Indeed, she didn’t, not entirely. But she knew the man he would become, the man he had the potential to become at least; but she also knew the darkness, and what it could turn him into, what it could make him do.

_I want to hurt you, like you hurt me._

It was her fault, all her fault. The man in front of her would meet his doom all because of her, because he fell in love with her, because he sacrificed himself for her. Emma felt the solitary tear as it slid down her cheek, and she saw the captain’s eyes soften.

“As vague as your story is, Leia, I seem to find myself believing it,” Hook said. “One would indeed be a fool to come to seek out this place on purpose, not to mention boarding a pirate ship uninvited”.

Emma nodded, grateful that he didn’t suspect her of anything.

“So, I’m free to go?” Emma didn’t dare hope it was this easy.

“Well,” the captain smiled, “I’m certainly not going to stand in your way, if you don’t intend to cross me, but beware of the other dangers on and surrounding this island, others might not be so lenient”.

Emma nodded. “I have no intention of getting in the way of,” she paused, “whatever it is you do here”.

“Well, lass, you certainly don’t look pleased to be here, in fact I’m a little wounded, I wouldn’t have thought my company to be so displeasing, most women are quite charmed by all this.” He gestured to himself.

Emma found herself laughing. He had no idea, none.

“Do you have any idea how you intend to get back to wherever you come from?”

Emma’s heart sank. No, no she didn’t.


	12. Gratitude

“So, you are telling me that you have no idea how to get back to your own realm?”

Emma nodded. “Not unless I can escape this one first, and from what I’ve heard, that is no easy task”.

“Aye, that it isn’t,” Captain Hook said. “I’ve spent over a century trying to leave this place, and I am no closer to finding a way off the island than I was when I first got here”.

Emma tried to look surprised. She knew of his situation, of course, but if he’d already been here for more than a hundred years, that meant she was close to her own time, didn’t it?

“You’ve been here this entire time?” she asked slowly, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Well, some times my crew and I are allowed to leave for a short visit – for supplies, but we’ve only been allowed to leave when _he_ allowed it”.

“He?” Emma asked, although she was sure she already knew to whom he was referring.

“He calls himself Peter Pan. He looks like a boy, but he is not. He is a bloody demon. No one leaves without his permission, and no one arrives without his–“

The captain’s eyes widened, as if he’d just come to some sort of realization.

“Pan must know you’re here, and if he doesn’t he will soon.”

Emma had known it was a possibility, but she hadn’t let herself dwell on it. She had no desire to meet her son’s great grandfather ever again.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“Pan always knows, he knows everything that goes on in this place.”

Emma believed him. He knew Pan better than anyone, perhaps with the exception of Rumpelstiltskin. But the question was, what would Pan think of her presense now? The last time she’d been here, she’d gone after Henry, whom Pan had needed to save himself, but this time, she didn’t pose a threat to him, did she? But if he saw her now, would that impact the timeline? Would Pan recognize her when she returned to rescue her son? Would their rescue mission fail because of something she’d changed?

“I’d better get back before he finds me then,” Emma decided to say. She knew how she’d managed the escape from Neverland last time, but she hadn’t been alone then. How was she to single-handedly capture the shadow, get enough working pixie dust and convince Captain Hook to sail her to the Enchanted Forest?

“Believe me when I say, Leia, that if I possessed a magic bean, or anything that could help you get away from this place, back to where you belong, I might be persuaded to offer it to you, but alas I do not,” the captain said. “However,” he continued, “you are welcome to stay on the Jolly Roger, until the next time my crew and I leave for the Enchanted Forest.”

“Thank you,” Emma breathed. The words seemed too inadequate to convey how grateful she truly was, but she didn’t know what else to say to him. Everything she wanted to say to him, she couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter, but I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks for reading.


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